First, Consider your Options!

If you are considering applying for a Fulbright, think carefully about the kind of grant you want to apply for (Academic (Study/Research), Arts, or English Teaching Assistantship), and the country to which you want to apply. You can use the Getting Started feature at the Fulbright US Student Program website to learn about the wide range of options available to you. You can also consult a wide range of recorded Webinars for applicants!

Review country and award requirements as you narrow your options. In the process, you can match your interests and strengths to the awards available to you. Recent alumni may also apply through Carleton and should follow the same procedures as rising seniors. Interviews may be conducted virtually.

If you apply for an Academic (Study/Research) or Arts grant, you’ll have to develop either a proposal for an interesting research or artistic project for which you have the appropriate experience and skills or a proposal to study in a particular program. The project must be something you can complete in the time allotted by the grant, usually nine months. In most cases, you must obtain and include in the application a letter of affiliation with a host institution. Be sure to consult with faculty in your field, and feel free to reach out to Director of Student Fellowships Marynel Ryan Van Zee for guidance as you develop your project idea.

English Teaching Assistant grants also require a project statement, one that deals with your ideas for and about teaching. You will need to provide evidence that you can be an excellent instructor and also that you will be able to engage with the local community in other ways.

By the pre-application deadline, you should make a provisional decision about what you will apply to do and where you will apply to do it.  You may revise your choices early in the application process or decide the the Fulbright is not for you, and that’s perfectly okay!

Pre-application Process

Please complete a pre-application form by Monday, June 16, 2025 (the form closes at 11:59pm Central Time) and you will receive an informational email as soon as possible after that date.

An extensive set of Resources for Carleton Applicants will be made available to those who submit the pre-application.

Summer Preparation

June through August, 2025: You will initiate your application through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Online Application System, work on the required essays and forms, and identify recommenders, with advice from Marynel and your faculty advisors.  Summer preparation involves an optional ‘zero draft’ deadline in July, as well as a required draft deadline in July or August, dependent on the type of award to which you are applying.

The Resources for Carleton Applicants section includes lots of information to help you get started drafting your application materials, including guidance and examples of statements from previous applicants.You must complete the pre-application to gain access to these resources, and to understand Carleton’s deadline structure for Fulbright applicants.

Fall Term 2025

A fully drafted application will be due by an early September deadline (before classes begin). All applicants will receive information about the mandatory interview that is part of the Fulbright application process (interviews may take place virtually). Detailed information about the deadline, the interview process and preparation for it, and the additional revision and other steps required before final submission of your application to meet the (early October) national deadline for the Fulbright US Student Program are provided in the Resources for Carleton Applicants section.

After Submission

Following the October deadline date, applications are evaluated by National Screening Committees in the U.S., and some of these are forwarded to the host countries for further review (applicants are notified by the end of January whether their applications have been forwarded). We expect final decisions between March and early May, but sometimes notification can come later.

Spring Term, 2026: We will celebrate the winning of many Fulbright awards!